Hepburn and Houndstooth

My family has never had pics and I would love to rectify that!  Please log onto Facebook and become a fan of Clarity Photography. Find this post and comment on it that Rhonda Christian sent you. PLEASE! …

“Who wants a free custom session? This contest is for all the new fans or not-so-new fans that have never been photographed by Clarity Photography. Invite your friends to become a fan and comment on THIS post telling who invited them to join. The person with the most responses will win a custom session AND 3 mini brag b…ooks (these are the cutest little things you’ve ever seen!). Contest ends April 4th at noon. ready. set. go!“

If I win, I will do a giveaway of my own!

(by the way, this picture is my friend Alicia and her family)

Friday night was my aunt’s surprise 44th birthday party, and our whole family celebrated every way that we do everything… a party in my uncle’s barn, complete with karaoke.  It was a blast, and we stayed out (with the kids wide awake!) until 3:30 a.m.  The only pants I had clean were my trouser jeans that are a little big on me now (yay for losing 4 pounds in a week!).  Those jeans are just for wearing with really high heels, because they are a mile too long for me.  I had to build my outfit around that, and it was tough when it came to comfy shoes.

How about my fat midsection?!  Note to self: Don’t wear bright colors in that area!  This is the cardigan I got married in!  I am in love with it.

I didn’t realize how big these jeans are on me until I saw this picture!  If I lose any more weight, I’m going to have to pass these on to my mom.  Will be sad to see them go.  They are my good-butt jeans.

The orange wedges are from Cato, circa 2008. They are so super comfortable, despite the 3+ inch heel!

Introducing another regular feature… Blog Love! There are just so many blogs that I love and I’m not selfish, so I’ll share them with you all.   Some things are just too good to keep to yourself.

Beth is a wife and mother of four.  She posts about party-planning, cooking, decorating, DIY, and so much more!  You won’t be disappointed in her blog.  I spent way too much time browsing through her blog today!  Go add Odd Girl Out to your reader now!

I actually managed to get an outfit picture taken, but it’s definitely not good quality and I definitely was not into modeling.  We were running out the door to go to my mom’s for an early dinner.  My dear husband took the picture with his phone, so what you get is a low-quality photo taken in really bad light.  This outfit is nothing special, but this is how I dress most days since being unemployed.

There really isn’t anything more comfy than a boyfriend tee (which I bought on clearance at Target for $3 a few months ago and wear to death), jeans, and Chucks (this particular pair is literally 5 years old).  I’m going to a family party Friday night, so hopefully I will wear an outfit actually worth the time.

Since having my oldest son in 2006, I have been battling the bulge.  Actually, let’s not blame it on the kid, because I have been struggling with my weight for probably nine years (hi, Freshman Fifteen).  Everyone knows that the older you get and the more kids you have, the harder it is to get rid of those extra pounds.  I really should have started whipping myself into shape before I had kids.  Coulda, woulda, shoulda.  Anyway, I used to run and stay so active that I could eat whatever I want, drink as much as I want, and gain only a minimal amount of weight.  Now, I need a complete lifestyle overhaul to get anywhere in my quest for a healthier and lighter me.  Sunday, I started (again) to eat right.  I used an app on my HTC Hero called “Calorie Counter” to help track what I’m eating.  It’s really convenient, as it lets you search for items and even scan barcodes for nutritional content.  I am doing really well so far, not going over my recommended calories.  I have lost 2 pounds, and I’m sure that’s water weight, but you have to start somewhere!  I haven’t worked in much exercise yet, but am trying to stay active when I can.  I took a walk with Nick yesterday and have tried to get a lot of housework done.  Today, I hope to go for a run.  I need to start over on Couch to 5k, because I keep getting off track.

It is part of my 30 Things To Do Before 30 list to lose 30 pounds.  I think I can do it, but it is NOT going to be easy!  I now have 9 months to lose that weight, and that’s 3.33 lbs a month.  That sounds easy, and it probably would be if I went on a crash diet, but I want a lifestyle change that will make me healthier and keep the weight off long-term.

I took some “before” pictures, with plans to post those here.  I just can’t do it.  They are really, really terrible.  My midsection is jiggly and shapeless and I have serious muffin top.  I will probably post the “before” pictures once I lose the 30 pounds I have planned.  As a way to hold myself accountable and as a motivator, I’m going to post my progress here.  The only thing worse than failing at weight loss is failing publicly.  I’m not shy about my personal details, and so I share this with you.

Weight on Saturday, March 20: 150 lbs.

Weight on Wednesday, March 23: 148 lbs.

I will take any advice and tips on how to work exercise into your routine and for quick, easy, healthy meal ideas!  Let me hear from you.  I could use the support (and a cupcake).

There are times when I want to blog because I have so many random thoughts floating through my head.  However, a lot of those times, I can’t find a direction for a post.  Inspired by the “Ten on Tuesday” feature of The Bastows, I’m introducing Tuesday Ten.  Here I will just do a sort of brain dump of things on my mind or things happening in my world.

1. Anxiety is enveloping me today!  I am determined to go to cosmetology school in the fall and am on edge trying to figure out how to make that a reality.  Between that and looking for a job, I’m a damn mess!

2. Nick decided today that he wanted to go outside and start a leaf collection.  I went out to help him, only to find that he was taping a pile of dead, crumbly leaves onto his paper.  We took a walk around our property collecting different leaves and flowers and it was probably the highlight of my entire day.  That little boy is so smart and I love to have a conversation with him!

3. My two best friends are amazing women who stand by me no matter what.  They really get me and that is hard to come by.  Unfortunately, they also live in different states.  And… I’ve never met them.  That has to change really soon!  One of them lives in Alabama, so there is no excuse to not meet soon!

4. One of the best things I’ve done with my life is get married to my love of 3+ years, 18 days ago.  I feel so complete and I know that I am better for being his wife.

5. I am trying so hard to grow my hair out and it is absolutely killing me.  If I see someone with cute and sassy short hair, I think mine needs to be short.  Then I’ll see someone with long, flowing tresses and I know I’m doing the right thing by growing mine.  Any time I get the itch to chop, I pull up old pictures of me with longer hair.  It looks so much better that way!

6. Every day, I wake up and think, “This is the day I will start taking pictures of my outfits.”  And (almost) every day, I spend all day in my PJs.

7. I need to start spring cleaning.  Like, yesterday.  So I will start it tomorrow (right after I take a picture of my outfit. riiiight.).

8. One good thing about being unemployed (other than being able to stay in my PJs all day) is getting to spend more time with Harper.  Before, he was 100% a daddy’s boy.  They spent all their time together while I worked.  Now, I get in on the action and I’d say he’s 12% mine now!

9. I tend to take on too many projects and right now, I am finally going to admit it.  I am in over my head.  I can’t succeed at a billion things.  I need to pick a couple and do them really, REALLY well.

10. There is one thing I’d like more than just about anything right now and that’s a box of wine.  Yes, a box.  I need an entire box because I live in a dry county and I don’t know when I’ll make it to the store again! Also, Wine Cube chardonnay from Target is pretty good!

Once upon a time, all of my jewelry was contained neatly in pretty little jewelry boxes.  Then, I became obsessed with costume jewelry.  Now I can not contain it in boxes without resulting in a huge tangle, much like this:

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In fact, in recent months I have all but stopped wearing jewelry, because I can never dig anything out of the mess.  After months of wanting to create a solution, I spotted my old bulletin board in my brother’s closet and decided to finally take action!

I recruited Dustin to remove the stubborn frame (yeah, he’s going to kill me for putting this in here).  Initially, I had planned to put the frame back on after completion, but it broke a little too much for my taste.  In the end, I liked it without the frame.

I then placed the bulletin board, cork-side down, onto the back of the fabric (pulled from my closet), cut with 4-5 inches around the sides (i didn’t measure it.  You won’t see the back.).

I took out the heavy-duty staple gun and went to work, stretching the fabric tight and stapling.  I flipped the board over to check progress, only to find that I was stapling completely through the board! Oops.

Dustin suggested I cut a new piece of fabric, concerned that the staple holes would show through.  I decided to go ahead with the chambray fabric I was already using.  However, I switched to my desk stapler from college.

I finished stapling the edges on the long sides of the board, then went to work on the corners.  I folded them as if wrapping a gift, rather than cutting the corners.  I really hate cutting, because I always mess something up!  I tried stapling the corners with my desk stapler, but the staples bent.  I got crafty and put used the staple gun at an angle so that the staples wouldn’t come through the front.  Perfect!

After finishing all four corners, I stapled along the short sides and flipped over to check my work.  It’s definitely not perfect, but I was absolutely satisfied!

I then laid out the screw-in hooks (scavenged from my mom’s house), then screwed them in.  They were the perfect size screw, going deep into the cork board without going all the way through.

These are literally the only pieces I could dig out of my jumble to demonstrate how it works.

I am not completely done.  I want to put something at the bottom for rings and smaller earrings.  I’m thinking I will attach some shallow boxes.  I will update when I find something!  I also have to figure out how to mount it.  It won’t last leaning on my nightstand.  So far, I spent $0 on this project, so it will be ok if I have to spend a couple of dollars on the rest.

Check out the simpler version of what I did on According to Lia.   I would have done this if I had a closet door to hang it on the inside of.  Since mine is going to be on full display, I decided to cover it and use nicer hooks.  This is just a temporary solution though, because once we get out of my dad’s house and into our own place, I plan to put up a pegboard similar to this.  (Would also love to have a bustform!)

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For now though, I’m content with my board and I think once I complete it, it will work for me for a long time!

Yep, you read that right.  Everyone remembers those cardboard dressers and storage boxes that were popular before plastic bins and drawers became affordable and available to everyone*.   Well, that is NOT what this post is about!  This is about Nikki, who used a lot of cardboard, paint, and a ton of imagination to create a last-minute guest room.

Image credit goes to the ever-creative Nikki at WhiMSy love, via Apartment Therapy.  Love them both!

*I tried to find images of these in case people didn’t recall them, or were too young to remember them.   However, if you do a Google Image search for “cardboard dresser” or “cardboard drawers”, you will find awesome stuff!

[Edited for grammatical errors, considering I wrote this post in the midst of a horrible migraine.]

I’m not into traditional weddings for myself (obviously), but there are two traditional things I love and I’m doing.  One is a plain gold wedding band.  I got my white gold beauty a few days ago, and it’s SO PERFECT.  It sits nicely beside my solitaire.  The other tradition I choose to uphold is “Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue.”  I can’t explain why, but I just like the sentiment.  I’m getting married tomorrow and I only have these four things halfway covered!

Something Old – I have known since I was a little girl that I would wear my grandmother’s pearls on my wedding day.  I wear them all the time as it is, and tomorrow will be no different.  These pearls were worn to my mom’s senior prom and in a cousin’s Junior Miss pageant.

Something New – Obviously, I bought all new clothes for this occasion, so there ya go.

Something Borrowed – ?  I will probably see what I can pull out of my mom’s jewelry box.  If you know my mom, you’re wishing me good luck right now.

Something Blue – ?  This one really has me at a loss!  I would wear blue undies, but I have to wear my control tops under my body-hugging dress. Ha.  I’m sure I can find something blue somewhere.  I just really need to start looking.  I have less than 24 hours.

Anyone have any ideas for me?

I spent the entire afternoon and evening Monday braving torrential, heavy winds, and COLD.  I was on a mission for shoes.  I needed a cardigan too, but the main objective was to find the perfect shoe to match my dress.  I wanted a round or almond toe pump with at least a 3-inch heel, in black patent (to match the patent belt on my dress).  Simple, right?  Not so much.  I went to at least ten stores, including discount department stores such as Marshall’s.  I couldn’t find a single shoe I liked under $50.  I won’t bore you with all the details of how I didn’t eat all day, was cold and wet, so tired that my eyes were sunken, and I had a meltdown in Target.  Short story: I ended up in Target where I found the perfect shoe for $20.  The problem was, there was one in my size…with GUM ALL OVER IT.  Good grief.  I gave up and went home for some sleep.

Today I lowered my expectations from “perfect” to “suitable” and set out in search for shoes.  I made a quick run into Cato where I used to work.  A lot of times, I can find some great treasures in there.  There, sitting in the clearance section for $9.99 was a pair of shoes exactly like what I wanted, except in suede.  They were reasonably comfortably, wonderfully priced, and with the shiny heel to match my patent belt, I was sold!  I haven’t taken a picture of them, but these are close:

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I am in love with the cardigan I bought.  I found it in Forever 21 and I just know I’ll wear it over and over!

I am so excited to be done shopping for outfits!  I can’t wait to do a lookbook on our outfits, complete with budget breakdown!  Now I just have to get my hair cut (tomorrow!) and do my nails.

I’M GETTING MARRIED FRIDAY!!!!